Chapter 13 Guardian Beasts

In the courtyard, all the Disciples gathered together, and even Yang Jueding stood behind the crowd, tiptoeing to look inside.

Li Qingqiu squatted in the middle of the crowd, a bird’s nest on the ground in front of him, containing three eaglets and two eagle eggs.

The three young eagles had dark gray feathers, and their beaks showed the characteristic shape of an eagle. They were very young, unable to fly, chirping in the nest, bumping into each other, with their eggshells beside them.

Zhang Yuchun was explaining where he found the eagle’s nest.

It turned out that when he went down the mountain earlier, Zhang Yuchun specifically bought several herb books, wanting to learn some medical skills. He searched for herbs on the mountain according to the books and happened to spot an eagle’s nest on a mountaintop.

He described the process as extremely dangerous, causing the Disciples to exclaim from time to time.

Li Qingqiu looked at these eaglets and thought of the Guardian Divine Beast in the dao lineage panel. He wondered if he could help these eaglets step onto the path of Cultivation.

“Master, did you see their parents?” Zhang Yuchun’s eldest Disciple, Huang Shan, asked. He was the oldest of the seven new Disciples, thirteen years old, and had already become a leader in their small circle. Although he hadn’t Cultivated Origin Qi, his martial arts talent was quite good, and his skills were the strongest among the seven.

Zhang Yuchun shook his head and said, “No, if I had met them, it wouldn’t have been so easy.”

Li Qingqiu stood up and said with a smile, “Well done. Raise them, especially those two eggs. Try to hatch them. In the future, let them become the Qingxiao Sect’s guardian beasts. Then, people in the Jianghu will know the Qingxiao Sect is coming when they see an eagle, and they will all make way. Wouldn’t that be impressive?”

At these words, all the Disciples’ eyes lit up, even Jiang Zhaoxia’s, and their gazes towards the nest of eaglets became fervent.

Yang Jueding couldn’t help but interject, “Eagles aren’t dogs. They’re not that easy to tame. When they grow up, they’ll surely fly away.”

“So we need to think of more ways. It’ll be best if it works out,” Li Qingqiu said nonchalantly.

Life on this mountain, besides Cultivation, offered little other entertainment. Raising pets wasn’t a bad idea.

The Disciples began to discuss, following Li Qingqiu’s words.

Li Qingqiu listened, and at the same time, helped them brainstorm.

The Qingxiao Sect was too monotonous; it needed the Disciples to be creative, just like Zhang Yuchun proactively learning medicine and bringing back the eagle’s nest.

As they chatted, Li Qingqiu suddenly felt he needed to establish a structure for the Qingxiao Sect.

For example, every month, he and his six Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters would hold a formal meeting to plan the development for the upcoming month. They couldn’t be too lax; this would also Cultivate the Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters’ mindset for leadership.

The Disciples’ martial arts practice should also be divided into different Schools, so that the Qingxiao Sect’s martial Dao could flourish in the future.

As for the Cultivation Disciples, they could be considered the Qingxiao Sect’s elite. After all, the Dao lineage reward for everyone becoming Cultivators had already been claimed.

The most important thing now was to lay a solid foundation for the Qingxiao Sect.

Internal affairs needed clear rules, and finances needed planning!

Resources needed long-term development!

It was time to open up new land!

The more Li Qingqiu thought, the more he realized, suddenly feeling that time was of the essence, and he had been too lax before.

That evening, Li Qingqiu called his six Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters to his room for a meeting. Although Wu Maner was simple-minded, and Li Sifeng and Li Sijin were young, Li Qingqiu still had them attend.

The seven grew more excited as they talked, and even Jiang Zhaoxia proposed many constructive ideas.

After the meeting, they returned to their respective rooms and held smaller meetings with other Disciples. That night, the Qingxiao Sect worked late into the night, and many had dark circles under their eyes when they woke up for morning exercises the next day.

Yang Jueding stood on the mountaintop, stretching his body. He looked down at the vibrant Qingxiao Sect Disciples in the courtyard below, feeling quite emotional.

He suddenly felt that in ten years, the Qingxiao Sect would be famous throughout the world, and the School would grow, undergoing earth-shattering changes.

Perhaps, he should work even harder.

After realizing this, Yang Jueding decided to diligently train the seven Disciples from the mountain village. These seven would surely become the future pillars of the Qingxiao Sect. As for Xu Ning, he couldn’t even teach her; that girl only listened to Li Qingqiu now.

In the days that followed, the Disciples’ scope of activity began to expand. Practicing martial arts and exercises within the three courtyards was no longer enough for them. They began to go to the forest down the mountain to practice martial arts, and Yang Jueding also began to teach them one by one.

Yang Jueding’s attitude pleased Li Qingqiu, and he began to change his opinion of him… In a blink of an eye, three months passed. The weather was hot, and the usually mischievous Li Sifeng was lying under a tree, resting, unable to calm his mind.

This was halfway up the mountain, two hundred zhang from the School at the summit. He was practicing alone, as his Senior Brother had instructed, not to let Yang Jueding and others see him when practicing the Gale Technique.

Li Sifeng had been practicing the Gale Technique for half a month, but he still couldn’t grasp the essentials. He was almost ready to give up.

“It’s still better not to Cultivate, how refreshing.”

Young Li Sifeng, with his hands behind his head, genuinely sighed. He crossed his legs, his little feet swinging non-stop.

He felt that his current life was quite good, carefree, with many things he wanted to do every day.

Today, he wanted to raid a rat’s nest. The big rat he encountered before had escaped, and he hadn’t forgotten it.

The sound of voices came from afar, and Li Sifeng couldn’t help but sit up. He looked intently and saw two figures approaching from a distance, one old and one young, travel-worn, pushing aside the weeds along the path.

“Eh? There’s a child there!”

The cloth-clad youth walking in front pointed at Li Sifeng and exclaimed. The tall old man following behind him carried a travel bag, and despite his white hair, he exuded a robust feeling.

The white-haired old man looked up and immediately saw Li Sifeng. He couldn’t help but frown.

This place was so far from the village down the mountain; it was impossible for a child to have crossed such a distance.

He seemed to think of something and asked, “Child, are you a Disciple of the Qingxiao Sect?”

Li Sifeng didn’t run away. He sat on the ground and replied, “That’s right. Who are you?”

As soon as the cloth-clad youth heard he was a Qingxiao Sect Disciple, he immediately quickened his pace and ran over.

“Young Master, slow down!”

The white-haired old man followed behind, calling out helplessly.

The cloth-clad youth came in front of Li Sifeng and said excitedly, “My name is Jiang Nian, I’m thirteen this year. What about you, what’s your name, and how old are you?”

Li Sifeng stood up and replied, “My name is Li Sifeng, and I’m also thirteen this year.”

He compared himself and found he was a bit shorter than Jiang Nian, which made him a little depressed.

At this moment, the white-haired old man walked over and asked, “Little brother, is your Master Lin Xunfeng here?”

Li Sifeng looked at him and said, “My Master left a long time ago. Didn’t he announce his retirement from the Jianghu at that so-called Carefree Martial Arts Gathering? Haven’t you heard?”

Ever since Lin Xunfeng announced his retirement from the Jianghu, Li Qingqiu no longer made the Disciples hide this fact.

The white-haired old man wasn’t disappointed after hearing this. Instead, he smiled and said, “Then is Jiang Zhaoxia still in the School?”

“You know my Third Senior Brother?” Li Sifeng asked warily.

They both have the surname Jiang!

Something’s not right!

Although Li Sifeng usually feared Jiang Zhaoxia, their bond as Senior Brothers was very deep. They were both orphans, but neither knew each other’s background.

Could it be that Third Senior Brother still had family down the mountain?

If Third Senior Brother left, what would happen to the Qingxiao Sect?

Although Li Sifeng was young and usually carefree, he was actually very thoughtful. At this moment, he thought of many bad consequences.

The current Qingxiao Sect could not do without Jiang Zhaoxia!

“He’s my brother. We specifically came to find him and take him home.”

Jiang Nian said with a smile. He was very handsome, with fair skin, and his smile was bright and endearing.

But his smile, in Li Sifeng’s eyes, was so annoying.

“Third Senior Brother went down the mountain with my Master earlier. You’ve come all this way for nothing.”

Li Sifeng said, extending his hand, his face feigning helplessness and sympathy.

The white-haired old man frowned upon hearing this and then said, “Then can we stay for a night? It’s too late to go down the mountain now.”

Li Sifeng shook his head and said, “There are other guests in the School. There’s no place for you to stay.”

“We’ll just take a look,” the white-haired old man said, unwilling to give up.

Li Sifeng was, after all, too young, allowing the white-haired old man to see through his facade.

After speaking, the white-haired old man pulled Jiang Nian and started walking up the mountain.

Li Sifeng panicked and quickly blocked their way, saying, “You are not allowed up the mountain!”

The white-haired old man looked displeased but still patiently asked, “Little brother, why are you stopping us from looking for Young Master Jiang?”

Li Sifeng glared and said, “You abandoned Third Senior Brother, and now you want to take him back. By what right do you control my Third Senior Brother like this?”

The white-haired old man said helplessly, “There were many reasons for what happened back then. You’re still young, and I can’t explain it clearly to you. Now, if your Third Senior Brother comes back with us, he’ll live a good life, much better than on this mountain. If you can’t bear to part with your Third Senior Brother, you can also come with us.”

Jiang Nian was very interested in Li Sifeng, and hearing this, he added, “Yes, why don’t you come with us? My father became a high official, and life is very good now.”

Li Sifeng was not persuaded; instead, he grew more anxious, feeling that Jiang Zhaoxia was leaving him.

“No! Absolutely not! You can’t go up the mountain!”

Li Sifeng clenched his two small fists and shouted angrily. As he spoke, he drew a dagger from his waist, its blade glinting.

Seeing Li Sifeng draw his weapon, the white-haired old man instead smiled. He stroked his beard and chuckled, “Child, do you know who I am? If this were in the Jianghu, if you dared to draw a weapon on me, not even a god could save you.”

“You’re full of crap!”

Li Sifeng yelled, sticking out his neck. He had learned this phrase from his Great Senior Brother.

The white-haired old man didn’t understand the exact words, but he clearly understood that the boy was cursing him.

The white-haired old man’s face turned cold, and he snorted, “Since that’s the case, then I’ll teach you, on behalf of Lin Xunfeng, how to speak to your elders!”

He raised his hand to grab Li Sifeng.

Suddenly.

Li Sifeng moved.

His left hand shot up like lightning, gripping the white-haired old man’s right wrist. With a forceful pull, the white-haired old man was caught off guard, lost his balance, and stumbled towards him.

Li Sifeng had a follow-up move. While pulling the white-haired old man, his right hand, clutching the dagger, stabbed towards his chest.

The white-haired old man’s pupils widened, his eyes filled with disbelief.